Gurgaon health department to prepare strategy to prevent vector-borne diseases

The Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon has asked the health department to step up efforts against the spread of vector-borne diseases this monsoon, and insisted that a strategy be prepared in the next five days and groundwork started by Saturday.

“This year, more rainfall is occurring than anticipated. In such a situation, the health department will have to make more serious efforts for prevention of dengue and malaria. Keeping in mind the possibility of a third Covid wave, it needs to be ensured that all appropriate measures are taken,” Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg said during a meeting of the Malaria Working Committee Tuesday.

“In the next five days, a strategy must be prepared and teams must descend on the field by Saturday to begin work to prevent these diseases,” he said, adding that a report detailing all the work done must be sent to his office every two days.

The Deputy Commissioner said that along with fogging, Temifos should be sprayed at identified places “since the effect of fogging lasts only for a limited time”. He also directed that apart from houses, water accumulated in roads, lanes, neighborhoods and public places must also be inspected for larvae.

Emphasising the need to spread awareness, he directed the District Education Officer to involve schoolkids in the awareness campaign and to motivate them to keep their homes and nearby areas clean. He also directed the Panchayat Department and Public Works Department not to allow waterlogging around their respective areas of work. He said that ‘dry days’ should be observed in offices every Friday, as part of which coolers should be cleaned and dried.

Speaking at the meeting on Tuesday, Civil Surgeon Dr Virender Yadav said, “The prevention of mosquito-borne diseases is a collective effort, and all the departments should contribute by running awareness programs at their level.”

According to Dr Yadav, until now, 479 people have been tested for dengue in Gurgaon, of whom no cases have been confirmed. One case of malaria has emerged. He said teams of the health department are doing door-to-door inspection, as part of which 10 lakh houses have been surveyed so far and notices have been given to 5,618 people.

“Flu corners have also been set up in all hospitals, including at all CHCs and PHCs, which have been visited by a total of 30,705 people so far,” said Dr Yadav.

Gurgaon had recorded 32 cases of dengue and 4 cases of malaria last year. In the preceding year, it recorded 22 cases of dengue and 15 cases of malaria, while 93 cases of dengue and 30 cases of malaria were recorded in 2018. No cases of chikungunya have been recorded in the district in the last three years.